The sound of a door slamming open, and the sound of heavy excited footfalls barely even registered to one of the residents of the home. The young and very tired dark haired young man of 18 shifted slightly as he slept. His only reaction to the loud noises in his mother's home.
The young man's room was decorated in any and all things Pokemon. A clear sign that the inhabitant loved everything to do with the fantastical creatures. Posters of various tournaments, and Pokemon Leagues covered each and every wall. And there were two large, almost life-sized plushies of a Dragonite and a Snorlax that took up a third of the young man's room.
"-an! Ryan! Ryan, wake up!" The excited voice earned a groan from the sleeping young man, who shifted so his back was to the door … which was nearly kicked off its hinges when the source of the noise-a young man with unkempt dirty blond hair, dressed in a black and green jacket, denim pants, and hiking shoes-barged into his best friend's room. "Wake up! They're here!"
"Ughhh… it's way too-wait what!?" The young boy, Ryan was now sitting bolt upright in his bed. He was now fully awake and alert. His friend's statement having fully roused him. He made to get out of his bed, but was cut off when his friend tossed two things onto his lap. One was a blue and black jacket made of the same material as his own, and the other was a box with "RYAN MARSHALL" on the recipient list.
The young man looked at the box, then to his friend who gave an encouraging and excited nod. With trembling fingers, Ryan opened the box addressed to him. An awed smile spread across his face once he pulled out the rectangular red metallic case. The miniature tablet device was exactly like the one hanging up on the mantle downstairs, next to his mother's second place Johto League trophy.
Fingers trembling still, Ryan's right thumb pressed the blue power button on the Pokedex. The screen flickered to life, showing an elderly man with short grey hair, brown pants and shoes, and a white lab coat. The two friends instantly recognised this as the Kantonian Pokemon professor, Oak. Unmistakable giddy smiles spread across their faces, as they heard the renowned professor begin to speak.
"Welcome to the world of Pokemon! My name is Oak, though some will refer to me as the Pokemon Professor. This world…" Pausing only for the briefest of moments, Oak reached into his lab coat, and pulled out a white and red sphere anyone would immediately recognise as a pokeball. A small flash of white later, and an adorable ball of white and brown fur was in Oak's free arm, bushy tail wagging away excitedly as the Eevee waved a paw at the screen.
"...is inhabited far and wide, by creatures we call Pokemon. Some people keep them for pets, others for battling. As for myself, I have dedicated my life to the study of Pokemon." Oak then held up his Eevee's pokeball, returning the adorable creature to the confines of their ball. "If you're hearing this, then that means you have been selected by the Pokemon League to begin your own Pokemon adventure! Congratulations! Your very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold! A world of adventures awaits you!"
As the video ended, Ryan was a mix of emotions. He was laughing giddily, though the young man's eyes were brimming with tears. He had been waiting for this moment for his whole life, and it was finally here! His own Pokemon legend … which meant he would need his own Pokemon. And that meant…
"Elm." The two friends said simultaneously, and rushed out of Ryan's room. Only Ryan stopped short, which got the other young man's attention. "What are you doing?"
"I need to put on pants." Ryan had rushed over to his closet, pulling open the doors as he spoke. He had almost forgotten to grab a pair of pants in his emotional state. "I'll be right behind you."
"You're already wearing pants." His friend's response made Ryan shake his head, as he pulled the blue denim garments over his legs.
"Trousers then." Ryan responded, before grabbing his jacket and his new Pokedex. Now completely dressed, he followed his friend downstairs. "I keep forgetting that your dad is Galarian, Stephan."
"We've known each other for fourteen years, and you still won't call me Steve." Stephan, or Steve as he liked to be called shook his head in a good natured way as they reached the ground floor.
Putting on his shoes, Ryan was halfway out the door, when both he and Stephan were frozen in place. Ryan was shocked, though he noticed a small blue aura about him and his friend, which only meant one thing. "Really Espeon?"
"Not even a good morning to your mother Ryan?" A smooth female voice said from behind the two young men, as they were released from Espeon's psychic hold. A woman in her mid-forties then stepped into view. Helena Marshall, for a middle-aged woman, looked no older than a woman in her late twenties. Her dark hair fell to the middle of her back, and her eyes were the same icy blue as her son's.
Helena looked cross, but she was also very understanding. She had been as excited as her son, when she first started her journey. All boys left home sooner or later, but she wasn't planning on letting her son leave with no notice.
Ryan at the very least had the good sense to look embarrassed. "Sorry mom, I was just-"
"-excited." Helena finished for her son. A smile broke out over the woman's face, as she wrapped her arms about Ryan. A gesture that was returned by Ryan seconds later, before he felt Espeon paw at his pant leg.
After his mother released him from her embrace, Ryan knelt down, and began to pet the purple furred psychic feline. "You little attention lover, I wouldn't forget about you. I'll miss you too Espeon. You just take care of mom okay?"
Espeon purred happily at the attention that her trainer's son was lavishing on her. Though she was as sad as Helena, that Ryan would be leaving. That aside, she returned the affection by repeatedly licking Ryan's face, causing Ryan to laugh for several seconds, until Espeon was finished.
"Good girl, there's a good girl." Ryan said, giving Espeon a final hug before getting to his feet. "I'll be back soon though, I still need to pack." With that, Ryan set off alongside Stephan. Their destination being the large building on the other side of Newbark Town.
"First thing I'm gonna catch for myself is a Skarmory!" Stephan said excitedly. He pumped one of his fists into the air, after his exclamation, making Ryan shake his head.
"Already talking about what your first catch is, and we don't even have our starter Pokemon yet." As Ryan was just as excited as Stephan was, he wasn't really judging his closest friend. Not too much at least. He knew it was possible, as Skarmory's were located at the base of the mountain one took to leave Blackthorn City to the north. "Just a lot of Pokemon between here and there."
"Well, I plan on catching them all." Stephan gave his friend a playful shove in response to his comment, only to be shoved back in response. The two laughed, as things had always been this way between them since their initial meeting when they were young. "What about you? What do you plan on doing?"
"Easy. First place in the Johto League." There was a determined note in Ryan's voice, and an unmistakable fire in his eyes. Ryan's dream was to be the best ever since hearing stories of his mother's journey across Johto. He wanted to make her proud of him, by taking home the large platinum trophy of the Johto League.
"Well, journey of a thousand steps mate." Stephan clapped Ryan on the shoulder, as the two young men stood outside of Professor Elm's lab. "Come on, let's take that first step."